I’ve spent most of my time withStar Wars Jedi: Survivoralternating between it and other third-person action games. I’d play a bit, then go swing around inSpider-Man 2’s New York. I’d put in an hour or two, then pick up a flashlight and skulk throughAlan Wake 2’s Dark Place. The result is that I was often mentally carrying over another game’s control scheme when I started up a session.
So it’s taken some time to really get the hang of the game’s lightsaber dueling controls. In the early hours, I was getting beat up by low-level scrubs, and downing stims like Skittles. Now that Alan Wake and Spidey are behind me, I can duel with the best of them. Though the game’s many stances combined with the upgrade system make sure that you always have new moves to try, I’ve gotten used to the flow of combat and have a good handle on when to parry, when to dodge, and when to attack. That’s especially true in single combat. Throw my Cal up against any opponent, and he blocks, feints, jumps, and jabs like a pro.
The only enemy this isn’t true for? The Bedlam Smashers. The name may make them sound like a minor league baseball team, but they are in fact nasty brutes and the toughest regular enemies I’ve encountered so far in the game. The Bedlam part of their name is a nod to the faction they’re a part of, the Bedlam Raiders, bandits operating out of Cal’s homebase, Koboh. Cal frequently encounters them throughout the game, and they serve as a goon force for the game’s antagonist, rogue Force user Dagan Gera.
The Smasher part is a reference to what they do, i.e. smash Cal Kestis into dust every chance they get. The first Bedlam Smasher you meet is introduced on its own for a one-on-one battle, and it looks intimidating at a glance. It’s big and beefy, with a helmet fit for a gladiator, and a gigantic hammer that resembles an especially bulky Dyson cordless vacuum.
But Smashers are scariest when you’re down to a sliver of HP. With most enemies, I can predict their movements. If they’re still their normal color, you can stay nearby, continueparrying, and get your hits in. If they turn red, that means an unblockable attack is coming, so you need to get ready to dodge.
But the Bedlam Smashers break expectations here in tremendously irritating ways. They, too, have an unblockable attack, and given that they’re wielding a hammer the size of a fridge, it creates a huge AOE explosion when it hits the ground. That wouldn’t be too bad to deal with if they also had a lengthy wind-up beforehand. They don’t. The second they turn red, they’re ready to bring the hammer down, which doesn’t give Cal any time to leap out of the way. Your best bet is to dash in, land a few hits, then dash back out and keep your fingers crossed they don’t decide to AOE you while you’re close. Throw additional enemies into the mix, and this becomes unbearable.
It’s annoying and it feels like it breaks the game’s combat system. The fun of Jedi: Survivor is in pretending to be a Jedi, expertly wielding a lightsaber and harnessing the Force to do cool stuff. The fantasy is not you roleplaying as a rodent in a one-sided game of Whack A Mole.
